


Don't Let the Madness Change Us

by hellozukohere (KiyoSanan)



Series: See the Stars in the Eyes of a Vampire [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Animal Death, Blood, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Ghosts, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Killing, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Pining, Shapeshifting, Supernatural Bonds, Vampire Bites, Vampire Feeding, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Violence, War, Warlocks, Werecats, Werewolf Hunters, Werewolves, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:55:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25740946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiyoSanan/pseuds/hellozukohere
Summary: In a world where vampires started a war for power, killing off the entire fae population, what happens when an unlucky shapeshifter and his spell-caster sister discover the last fairy in existence in the South Pole?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Mentioned), Sokka/Suki (Brief), Sokka/Yue (Brief), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: See the Stars in the Eyes of a Vampire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867207
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Don't Let the Madness Change Us

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my amazing beta @thesyltherinpaladin from tumblr. Also thank you @resident-rowan from tumblr for proofreading this chapter for me.

Deep in the freezing waters and unforgiving landscape of the South Pole sits a tiny village, whittled down to a few tents and an igloo, less than thirty inhabitants left among them. Mostly women and small children remain. Their husbands were cruelly torn from the small community. Out past the village was an expanse of ice, with iceberg laden waters on all sides. Lightly pressed footprints in the snow lead a trail to two siblings arguing in a canoe near the ice shelves. Their voices rising above the gentle lapping of the water on the sides of their canoe. 

“It’s not getting away from me this time,” said the taller of the two as he pulls off his parka and underclothes. “Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish.” He dove into the ocean causing a sizable splash, effectively scaring the fish that he knew his sister was about to try to catch with her elemental magic. 

“Sokka! You know you can’t catch a fish like that.” Her words were slightly muffled by the water barrier, but it did nothing to hide her budding irritation. If he couldn’t catch a fish, maybe he could catch an arctic seal. That would show her. 

When he emerged to the surface, it was as a full grown polar bear dog, shaking his thick fur, drenching his sister’s coat with icy cold water. 

She gave him one of her trademark scowls, the kind where her brow furrows and she looks like she’s going to kill him. He was definitely in trouble. Now was the perfect time to distract her before she could yell at him. 

He lifted his paws out the water, clapping, and nodding his head excitedly. 

“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” she said. Her irritation downgraded to a bubble of annoyance. 

He let out a hum, his cheeky way of saying, “I know.” 

Before she could say anything else, he plunged back under the water. He would be dead in minutes if he wasn’t in this form, the frigid temperatures of the South pole were no joke. Being a Southern shifter came with it’s obvious benefits. There was a time in his life when he disliked that he was born like this, but, after Bato and his father taught him how to control his power, he had a hard time finding many reasons to complain. 

Shifters could take any form as long as they’ve physically seen the animal before. When he was 10, the first creature he ever shifted into was an otter penguin. That led to a mountain of younger children trying to clamber onto his back and yanking at his flippers. As he matured, he started using his shifts to help the tribe in other ways. It was the most effective way to hunt and an even better way to stay warm in the sub-zero climate. The polar bear dog was always a go to now, for the sake of convenience and keeping his sister off his back. 

Using his front paws to propel him through the waters, he swam deeper, using his back feet as rudders. Fish circled near the seafloor, just beyond where he could dive as a polar bear dog. Without gills it was too risky to try. 

Katara was right, as much as he hated to admit it, he wasn’t going to catch any fish in this form. 

His sister would be mad if he left her alone for too long, but what kind of man would he be if he didn’t come back with enough food for the tribe. He was their only warrior left after all. His father, Bato, and the other tribesmen who were of age, left a couple years back to aid in the ongoing war. He hasn’t seen either of them since. They still made sure to send letters from time to time. But it wasn’t enough to make up for their loss. Without warriors to provide food and protection, the village had started to weaken. 

With the other shifters gone, responsibility had fallen to Sokka. He had to become a sort of pseudo-chief in his dad’s place. It was more than he was ready for at the time of their departure, but now he was older and stronger. Sure, fifteen was still young, but when your home needs protection and you’re the only one left to do it, what can you do? The tribe needed clothes, warmth, and most importantly they needed a constant flow of food coming in. The slight burning of his lungs from lack of air brought him back to the present, and he set himself back to the task at hand.

A new plan would be necessary since fish were no longer a viable option. After deciding on a new objective, he started paddling away from Katara. Her protests faded away when enough distance was put between them. She would be fine. She’d probably spend the whole time practicing her silly water spells. 

When he reached the edge of the ice, he hauled himself up unto it and headed inland towards the fissures. When he found the long, wide splits in the ground, he knew he was in the right place to utilize his still hunting - a polar bear dog hunting technique he’s had down pat for the better half of this year.

After a tedious two hours of waiting, an unsuspecting seal poked its head up for air and he sprang into action. Leaping forward, he crushed the seal between his strong forepaws and dragged it out of the water and onto the ice. A gutteral screech was emitting from its throat, followed by a plea for help, to whom he assumed was aimed at the seal's family, and then finally, a weak voice begging him to stop.

That was the hardest part of being a shifter, being able to hear what animals are thinking, as you’re trying to kill them. Sokka felt guilty, but he didn’t let it show as he finished the job with a single deadly bite to the head. It probably seemed overly vicious to some, but it was survival. It wasn’t anything none of the other Southern shifters wouldn’t do. As unfortunate as it was for the seal’s family, he had a family too. 

When he finally made it back to Katara, she was sitting on the edge of the ice, a thoughtful expression on her face. Sokka came up to her, dragging the limp seal in his mouth, and releasing his hold on it next to her side. It was slightly mangled, leaving a blood trail behind it. She looked over to him with a mixture of disgust and maybe admiration. 

“You have blood on your muzzle, but good catch, this will feed the tribe for a while.” A hesitant smile had managed to edge its way on her face. 

He knew she wouldn’t ever be used to seeing him like this, but it couldn’t be helped. 

When he shifted back, she looked away embarrassed and handed him his clothes. He wiped the blood from his face and turned to her. 

“Did you have fun practicing your hocus pocus while I was gone?” 

“Actually, I found...” 

Tiny hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood at attention. He instinctively let out a low growl, wondering why it had taken him so long to realize they weren’t alone. Another perk of being a shifter, heightened senses. (Not that they always worked) 

“Hi!” A stranger dressed in bold oranges came seemingly out of nowhere, landing right in front of him, “Will you go penguin sledding with me?” 

Despite knowing it was coming, it still startled Sokka. He fell backwards onto the ice, and Katara smiled sheepishly at him. Clearly his sister had been up to more than just incantations during their time apart. 

“This is Aang,” Katara fiddled with the hem of her parka, avoiding his disapproving gaze, “I found him frozen in the ice. He had a powerful protection spell used on him. I think he’s a fairy…”

Sokka stood up, dusted ice off his pants, and looked the boy over. He was a kid, that much was obvious. A few years younger than his sister if he had to guess. He was scrawny, bald, and dressed head to toe in brightly colored yet thin and light looking clothing that was totally unfamiliar to Sokka. But the arrows on his pale skin couldn’t be denied. Aang had the telltale markings of a fairy. How was that possible? The fae were all drained centuries ago when the blood war first started.

Remembering the stories his mother told them about fairies when he was really young, he felt a tiny pang of sadness. They were extinct, totally and completely wiped from the world. Fae were the first and only magical entities in the whole blood war to be completely eliminated. Their blood was apparently so intoxicating to vampires that they fed off of them until there were none left. 

It was too much, too much for Sokka to try to process after spending two hours waiting for a seal to rear its head out of the ice. Too much after hearing it’s broken cries before he snapped it’s skull. 

He grabbed his kill by the tail and turned to walk away, “I’m going home to where stuff makes sense.” 

That’s when Aang tentatively stepped in front of him, hands out, placating. “I can give you a lift on Appa if you want,” his smile so sweet Sokka could feel himself getting a tooth ache. 

“Appa?” 

“My flying bison! He’s my animal guardian.” 

“Of course. Fairies, magic, flying bison…” Sokka groaned and looked at his sister, begging with her to help him. Was this kid for real?

“We could get the seal back to the tribe faster,” she said. Katara knew how to get through to him. Bring up the tribe and you instantly win whatever verbal battle was potentially looming. 

Maybe she had a point, but dammit. He didn’t like it. Pride would’ve gotten in his way if there weren’t children back in the village that needed to eat, and soon. It had been almost a week since he’d been able to get fresh meat and he was worried about depleting the stores of smoked meat before winter came and food got even harder to come by.

With a sigh of resignation, he spoke, “Okay, sure.” 

When the bison came out of behind a nearby iceberg, he had to admit he was a little taken back. He had heard the steady heartbeat and thundering breaths but the size of the beast still took his breath away. The beast was the biggest animal Sokka had ever seen. And on the center of it’s forehead was an arrow matching the one on Aang. What would it be like to shift into an animal like that, Sokka thought. Now that he has laid eyes on the bison, he could probably shift into one whenever he wanted. Surely he could make use out of that transformation one day if the need arises. 

Katara and Aang helped him heft the heavy seal onto Appa’s back. The creature didn’t look very thrilled about the dead animal being thrown onto his back, but he only huffed about it for a few moments before going silent. Sokka expected an onslaught of furious comments aimed at him after that, but instead he heard nothing. 

When they were all aboard the bison, Aang cheered, “Okay! First time flyers hold on tight.” 

Sokka had to wonder how he had gotten himself into this mess. It started out as a totally normal midday hunt with his sister and turned into discovering the world’s last fairy. And that fairy’s flying bison whose thoughts he couldn’t hear. He had to push down his increasing sense of dread. Taking a fairy back to their village was the worst thing that they could do, and yet they were doing it. It was a liability and a danger to the tribe. 

“Appa, yip yip!” Aang snapped the reins gently against the bison’s head. The creature shifted before leaping into the air and then back down into the water. “Come on, Appa. Yip yip.” 

“Wow, that was truly amazing.” Every word uttered was dripping in sarcasm and his sister glared at him in response. 

“Appa’s just tired, that’s all. A little rest and he’ll be soaring through the sky. You’ll see.” 

The younger boy made a soaring motion with his hands while he kept his goofy smile fixed on Katara. His sister took notice and stiffened up. 

“Why are you smiling at me like that?” 

“Oh… I was smiling?” 

Sokka took that opportunity to throw his head back in disgust. This was going to be a long day.  
  


* * *

  
Zuko wiped the sweat from his brow, panting slightly to help reduce his body temperature. Standing on the deck of his warship, in the sweltering heat, he looked out at the surroundings. Icebergs and water, nothing more and nothing less. The sun was overbearing in this part of the world. It reflected off of everything, making being above deck a struggle. He could stay in the sun for longer than most. His body had grown accustomed to it over the past three years. But he couldn’t suppress its rays forever. 

He was nearly at his limit and he knew it. Not that his limit has ever stopped him before.  
Pushing himself to stay in the sun for hours on end to train, to watch for signs of nearby magical entities, was becoming second nature to him. 

A swell of broken coughs from behind made him turn his attention to his uncle. Iroh was sitting at a low-table, legs crossed, with his teapot in front of him. 

“Uncle?” 

“You’re doing it again, nephew,” his uncle gave him a concerned look, “You’ll burn again if you stay up here much longer.” 

“I don’t have time to recover below. I have to find one of the remaining fairies, my honor is riding on it.” 

“We’ve talked about this, Prince Zuko, there are no living fairies. Your father, grandfather, and great grandfather all made sure of that.” 

“He wouldn’t send me out here for nothing!” he snapped. 

Iroh looked like he wanted to say something else, but kept his mouth shut. 

Zuko wasn’t feeling in the wrong or at least that’s what he tried to tell himself. Not at all. Okay... maybe a little. He sighed, letting the tension slip away. Yelling wasn't helping. 

“Can I have some of that?” he gestured to the steaming teapot, hoping his uncle would take his interest as an unspoken apology. Iroh always loved it when Zuko showed an appreciation for his strange cocktails. 

His uncle looked up at him in surprise, “I thought you didn’t enjoy my concoctions.” His hearty laugh echoed in the emptiness around them. 

“I’m not fond of the one with the seal and polar bear, the combination tastes too bitter, but I enjoy the arctic hippo one.” 

“Well, you’re in luck then.” His uncle poured him a cup, steam rising up from the deep red liquid. He held the cup out with slightly shaking hands. 

“Thank you, uncle.” Zuko retrieved the cup and just as he was about to press it to his lips, a glittering purple stream of light shot up into the sky a few miles out, garnering his immediate attention. His cup fell from his hands, clattering against the ship's metal floor and shattering into pieces. 

He barely registered the mimicking shatter and jostling sounds from his uncle’s direction.

Iroh’s hand landed roughly on his shoulder a second later, as if the man was trying to steady Zuko and himself. As if he needed oxygen, Zuko imagines this is what it would feel like to have the air pulled from his lungs. There was no mistaking that incredible source of power.

“It can’t be,” Iroh whispered. 

“Finally. My search is about to come to an end.” 

He shrugged off his uncle’s hand before yelling for the helmsman to set a course for the purple glow.  
  


* * *

  
Sitting outside of their tent, Sokka was sharpening the edges of his boomerang with a stone. He lifted his head when Katara pulled Aang from the tent, positioning him to be shown off and introduced to the entire tribe. 

The tribe responded exactly how Sokka had predicted, bewildered and a little scared. Aang’s nerves were obvious as he leaned into Katara’s personal space to whisper something. 

His grandmother, affectionately nicknamed Gran-gran by his sister, left her place next to the other members of their family, moving towards Aang and Katara. 

“Nobody has seen a fairy in hundreds of years. We thought they were extinct.” 

Hearing his grandmother say that to Aang felt wrong, like some kind of an insult directed at Aang, but it was the cold hard truth. The fae were only talked about in regards to bedtime stories and cautionary tales.

Bato always used to say that he didn’t believe they existed in the first place. That they were an urban legend the vampires created to scare the other supernaturals into surrender or else they’d be eradicated as well. There was no hope in surrender though, only more slaughter and their own people taken to be used as blood bags. So they had to keep fighting, even if they fought for their whole lives. 

Aang’s quiet voice broke him from his thoughts, “Extinct?” 

Katara cut in quickly stepping forward and gesturing to Gran-gran, “Aang, this is my grandmother.” Leave it to Katara to be the master of distraction. It was a good call on her part. 

“Call me Gran-gran.” 

Sokka got off the ground, making his way over to Aang, and grabbing his staff. “What’s this? You can’t stab anything with this.” 

“It’s not for stabbing.” Aang reached his hand out and willed the staff back into his hands. The air around the staff glows a faint purple as it flies through the air and the faint heat emanating from it leaves wisps of steam in the freezing air. 

Sokka opened his mouth to say something, only to realize he was speechless, gaping like a fish. 

The rest of the tribe made small ‘oohhs and aahhs.’ 

He had to admit it was kind of impressive. They all knew what magic looked like. Katara has been splashing water around for years, but to see it exercised with such ease. That was new. 

One of the youngest members of their tribe, a little girl, standing in front of the rest of the tribe, waddled forward and grabbed the bottom of Aang’s shirt. “Magic trick! Do it again!” 

“Okay,” he smiled down at her, his goofy grin lighting up the surrounding area. 

The fairy stood up tall, closed his eyes, and was gone in an instant.

“Where did he go?” the girl pouted. 

“Over here!” Aang called to them from the top of Sokka’s watchtower, a few yards away. One of the few construction projects he could be proud of having done since the other shifters left. 

“He can teleport!?” The siblings expressed their shock in unison. 

And before they could finish speaking, Aang was back in front of them as Sokka’s watchtower crumbled in the distance, pieces of ice and packed snow falling onto the snow banks. 

“My watchtower!” he gasped. 

“Oops…” Aang bowed, “Sorry, Sokka.” Katara was giggling behind him with her gloved hands over her mouth. 

“Great. You’re a fairy and Katara’s a witch. Together you can just waste time all day long.” 

“You say that like you’re not a shapeshifter,” Katara gave him a pointed look, “You waste way more time than any of us.” He didn’t waste time. Hunting could take hours. That wasn’t his fault. What did she know anyways? If she wanted him to “waste less time” then she could at least help him hunt from time to time.

“You guys are supernaturals too?” 

An odd question, Sokka thought, considering Aang had probably seen him shift back before they first met. Not that he minded Aang feigning surprise, it was easier than thinking about the fact that the other boy likely saw him naked and coated in a sticky layer of seal’s blood. 

“All right. No more playing. Come on, Katara, you have chores.” Gran-gran’s deep and aged voice rang through the air as she grabbed Katara’s hand and led her away. 

Sokka left Aang standing in a gaggle of curious children and headed into one of the nearby tents. He needed to skin his kill and seperate all of the parts. He didn’t want anything to go to waste. There was a deep respect for every animal he hunted; he didn’t kill for sport. Seal skin for more waterproof boots and jackets. The fur for coats to traverse the harsh winds of the South Pole. Or an alternative, the pelts could be used to line their igloo and tents for more insulation. Bones for tools and weapons. Then of course, the meat would be cooked or stored for later. A seal this big would last a week at least. Sokka’s mouth watered slightly, thinking about all of the blubbered seal jerky Gran-gran could make with a catch this big. 

When he was done, he could go train the future shifters of the tribe more about discipline in battle and how to control their shifts when they come of age.  
  


* * *

  
The sun was no longer high in the sky, darkness creeping it’s way over the horizon and providing a welcome reprieve from the harsh sunlight. 

Zuko was on the deck again after getting some much needed regeneration below. His uncle and two underlings were with him. He was settled in a low fighting stance facing the two underlings head on. He blasted some fire from his palms, the underlings moving out of the way, and Zuko doing a flip over them shooting some fire at the back of their heads. They somehow managed to dodge the attacks seamlessly. 

“Again.” 

Taking his uncle’s cue he tried to do a similar string of attacks, all of which missed their intended targets. 

Iroh sighed, and stood up, approaching Zuko.

“No! You have a strong will to manipulate the element of fire. But you don’t have control to truly master it! You call upon your surroundings, but then you don’t know what to do with it when you have it.” 

Iroh took a wide stance, demonstrating his impressive call on the elements and his even more impressive manipulation of them. His uncle’s jovial attitude often made Zuko forget that Iroh was an elder vampire. An elder with a mastery of pyrokinesis and a keen killing instinct. The man had laid waste to countless bodies in the war before ‘retiring’ when his son was decapitated in front of him by one of the vampire hunters in Ba Sing Se. How his uncle had come to the decision to leave the comforts of the palace and travel with Zuko when he was banished, he wasn’t sure. 

A burst of flame shot towards Zuko, stopping before hitting his chest, then disappearing altogether. 

He wanted to feel sorry for himself, but he knew his uncle has had centuries to practice and he’s only had sixteen years to learn and develop his skills. 

“Enough. I know how to call the elements. They bow to my will! You have to teach me something new.” 

“No, you have yet to master manipulation. You’re not ready for advanced techniques.” 

“Ahh!” Zuko sent a messy blast of fire at one of the underlings, throwing the man backwards into a heap on the ground. 

His uncle rushed over to the man, grabbing his arm to help pull him to his feet. 

“You’re going to kill them if you keep lashing out like that! They aren’t of royal blood. They can’t withstand fire like we can!” 

Zuko growled, “What does it matter? They’re already dead! Besides, the fairy must be at least five hundred years old, uncle. I’ll need more than basic elemental manipulation to capture them. You _will_ teach me advanced manipulations.” 

Maybe he was being too harsh. But it wasn’t a lie. They were all dead, not just his crew, but him and his uncle as well. No brain waves, no heartbeat, no need for functioning lungs. They’re shells of humans. Devoid of what makes someone truly alive. Maybe his uncle could remember what it felt like to be among the living, but Zuko couldn’t, because he never was human, he was born undead, not turned like his uncle and underlings. 

Iroh sighed, “Very well. But I need to feed first,” he rubbed the back of his neck and headed below deck, the underlings on his tail, leaving Zuko alone with his thoughts. 

He looked out ahead, leaning against the edge of the ship, more icebergs disappearing out of his sight. His fingers lazily ran along the cool metal beneath them. They were getting closer to the source of the light. His nose crinkled up when the scent started to waft around him. Close enough that he was beginning to smell blood in the distance.  
  


* * *

  
With the moon high in the sky, Sokka shivered out of instinct. As beautiful as it could be, he was no fool. He knew when the sun dipped under the horizon, they were always at the biggest danger of a vampire attack. 

One of the future Southern shifters whined, bringing him back to reality. 

Coughing into his fist, he gazed down at the ragtag group of toddlers. They never took these training sessions seriously. They couldn’t comprehend the severity of the looming threat against them and their mothers. 

Sokka pulled out his boomerang, patting it against his palm, eyes locked on the kids looking up at him. 

“Now men, it’s important that you show no fear when you face a vampire. In the Southern shifter tribe, we fight to the last man standing. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?” 

They weren’t men, hell, they weren’t even children. Not yet. He knew that. But if he didn’t at least try to teach them basic survival with weapons, what chance would they have before their shifting abilities activated? 

“I have to pee!” One of the boys started waving his hand frantically in the air and Sokka slapped his forehead in frustration. 

“Listen, until your father's return from the blood war, they’re counting on you to be the men of this tribe. And that means no potty breaks.” 

The boy started whining again, explaining how he really had to go. It was apparently too severe to hold. Sokka asked the rest of the group who else had to go and all six hands shot up. He sighed, training had taken it’s usual turn. And just as he was about to dismiss the toddlers back to their mothers, Katara approached him. 

His sister was raising her concerns and asking if he’d seen Aang. He hadn’t. His hands were full with the kids and his long-winded speeches about the importance of being prepared for anything. 

Moments later Aang stumbled out of the bathroom, cracking jokes as the group of future shifters ran up to him laughing. Sokka couldn’t help feeling irate at the sight. They didn’t have the luxury of screwing around. These boys were nowhere near ready to defend the tribe. 

“What’s wrong with you? We don’t have time for fun and games with a war going on.” 

Aang stilled and blinked at him, his ever present grin finally sliding from his face. “What war? What are you talking about?”

The siblings exchanged looks. 

“You’re kidding, right?” 

Who didn’t know about the war? Sokka was born into it. Taught from the moment he learned to walk how to use a weapon, and from the moment he could shift, he was taught how to kill. Animals. And vampires. Decapitation, destroy the heart, or loss of blood. Don’t give them the chance to retreat, they’ll heal. If you can help it, don’t fight them alone. 

“PENGUIN!” Aang had basically ignored his question and chased after a penguin that was waddling in the distance. 

He turned to Katara, ears burning with heat and a dumbfounded expression on his face, “He’s kidding, right?” 

His sister bit her lip and walked awkwardly to Aang. 

Sokka didn’t move to follow. Thirty minutes later, a flare shot up into the air from the abandoned vampire navy ship leaving a heavy trail of smoke behind it, and he cursed.  
  


* * *

  
“The last fairy,” Zuko let out a shaky breath, he could see the fairy and girl running across the ice. This was it. He could barely control himself, the sickeningly sweet scent was making his body feel electric. He’s never smelt anything like this before. He was far away, but the smell was right under his nose assaulting his senses. _Calm down._ He steadied himself against the edge of the ship with one hand before shouting to one of the underlings to get Iroh. 

His brow arched in determination, and his fingers gently brushed the rough skin around his scar.


End file.
